Thered,
The problem is people like your family! You think you are taking it seriously but your partner has driven from one London are to another and then e to Cornwall, with people who have highly likely has recent exposure to Covid.
It was just like this in the plague, the rich fleeing London to their country piles, taking the flees with them. I guess people are (generally) selfish when it comes to their own health—-it is basic evolution.
Unfortunately, this time the rich don’t just have country houses but houses all over the world and they have fled with their families to them.
It is not that rich people are intrinsically more selfish than those with less, they just have more options.
Around me (SW London) things are definitely quieter, I would say about 50% quieter. Cafes are still being used but generally with people keeping their distance.
It is, of course, a balancing act and one we have not been used to for over 100 years. It is not the bubonic plague and, ultimately people cannot tolerate isolation forever. So, lives vs the economy (which is also, ultimately lives) is the uncomfortable position all governments have been put in, in an era where people are either perceived as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ with no shades tolerated.
And remember, the idea is to reduce the infection rate below 1 from about 2.5. This does not take complete isolation but reducing contacts by a factor of 2.5. So play dates with the same 3-4 children, seeing a few close friends (when healthy) should be fine. Large gatherings, business meetings, packed bars, restaurants clubs are definitely not fine. It is a shame that people cannot understand this nuanced message so we will probably end in full lockdown.
If there is no vaccine found in a year or so, however, we may end up accepting this as ‘one of those things’ with a regular winter death toll of 10s of thousands of mainly old. Remember, we used to do this up until about 70 years ago, so it would be a return to normal, not a new thing.